| Week 1 | June 6–12 |
|---|---|
| Week 2 | June 13–19 |
| Week 3 | July 11–17 |
| Week 4 | July 18–24 |
|---|---|
| Week 5 | July 25–31 |
| Week 6 | August 1–7 |
A Montreat Youth Conference affirms youth in their calling to be and to shape the church of Jesus Christ.
Our desire is to help youth come to know and believe that they are the beloved of God and to be a place where authenticity, community, connection, and God’s truth thrive. We seek to be an inclusive space where each voice can be heard and where each heart can be molded; where change is invited, challenge is expected, and where all are embraced.
Youth leave Montreat knowing that:
They are loved as they are.
They are part of a community of faith.
Worship & Keynote
Worship and keynote engage youth in the theme and challenge all in attendance to faith exploration and growth. Using scripture, Reformed theology, and song, youth are affirmed and united as children of God. During keynote, everyone gathers for group building, announcements, and song. During worship, youth hear the Word of God proclaimed in word, song, and action.
Small Group
Small group is a place where youth can share their journey of faith with peers through respectful and empathetic conversations. Small group sessions are led by trained adult leaders who facilitate honest discussions about the themes presented in keynote and worship. It is an important time where youth can dive deeper into the conference theme, while forming bonds and making dear friends with youth outside of their congregation.
Recreation
We engage youth physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in events that build up the Christian community and communion while having fun! We believe that people who can play together can pray together; people who can sing together can talk together; and people who can dance together can walk together.
Back Home Time
Evenings with back home groups are a time for youth and adult leaders to spend together in discussion, prayer, and preparation for the next day of the conference. Our hope is that experiences in keynote, worship, small groups, and recreation will provide all the content youth need to have some meaningful conversations with their back home group. Materials are provided to help adult leaders debrief the amazing events and emotions of each day with their youth.
Planning to Gather
We miss being together. We feel strongly that being together in community is one of the main ways we live our call to Christian discipleship.
So, in the hopes that pandemic circumstances will improve to allow us to be on site together in 2021, our directors, planning teams, and leaders for Youth and Middle School conferences are at work to create on site, in person conference experiences. They have met virtually to select themes for each conference, and in January our leaders will take the next steps toward building these conferences. Both teams emphasized the central importance of making connections with one another and with God, and of course we know that conferences allow for that growth to happen in a unique way.
Being together next summer may require some modifications for maintaining social distance and maximizing time outdoors. As the summer approaches we will be preparing those modifications and telling you about them. Get ready! We will modify as we go according to what’s required!
Prepared for Adaptation
Even as we plan for gathering, we have to be prepared for just about anything. Last spring taught us that we can adapt to some curveballs when necessary. Between March and June we had multiple conference plans – from “normal” to “online” and a few in between – on the table all at once.
If necessary, we’ll adapt again. Our goal is to be together, and we hope that means face to face. But we’ll be prepared to adapt if the pandemic and good sense require it.
Need to talk to a real person?
- Need help registering? Contact Hope Barker at hopeb@montreat.org or by phone at 8284199828.
- Have logistical questions or need resources? Contact Chris Alexander at chrisa@montreat.org or 8284199809.
- Are you a new group or a group who hasn’t come in a few years? Contact Susie Burns at susieb@montreat.org or 8284199814.
